For the past year, the GOP has committed most of their time and energy to denying women their right to choose their own reproductive health, and regardless the negative publicity, they inexorably continue portraying themselves as the anti-women party. As the Senate began talks to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday, news of Republican opposition to protecting women emerged that reinforces the notion that Republicans hold women in the same regard as they do tax increases on the wealthy; they hate them.

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) once had broad bipartisan support since its inception in 1994, but the latest Senate version failed to get a single Republican vote in the Judiciary Committee last month despite the bill’s five Republican co-sponsors. Republicans claim Democrats put “matters on that bill that almost seem to invite opposition,” according to Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) so “they could accuse you of not being supportive of fighting violence against women.” Republican opposition is expanding the bill to include Indian tribes and rural areas, free legal assistance to domestic violence victims, extending the definition of violence against women to include stalking, and provide training to courts to deal with families with a history of violence. It also allows battered illegal immigrants to “claim temporary visas” and would include same-sex couples in domestic violence programs.